iPhone App News: PostSecret app pulled

Threatening content cited as PostSecret founder takes down popular app

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Internet trolls forced founder to take down popular app, which allowed iPhone users to share their darkest secrets

A popular iPhone app, which allowed users to anonymously air their deepest secrets, has been taken down after it was beseiged by "gruesome" and "threatening" postings.

The PostSecret app, which was receiving 30,000 submissions a day and two million over its lifespan also allowed voyeuristic users to peruse the postings of others.

However, the founder Frank Warren has made the decision to take down the app following complaints about explicit postings from he doesn't have the man-power to moderate.

He said: "It pains me to announce that the PostSecret App is now closed. In some ways, this is because of its success. It reached the top-selling spot in the App Store and users shared over 2 million creative secrets.

"Like the PostSecret Blog, the App was designed so each secret was absolutely anonymous. Unfortunately, that absolute anonymity made it very challenging to permanently remove determined users with malicious intent.

"Bad content caused users to complain to me, Apple and the FBI. I was contacted by law enforcement about bad content on the App. Threats were made against users, moderators and my family. (Two specific threats were made that I am unable to talk about).

"As much as we tried, we were unable to maintain a bully-free environment."

PostSecret started in 2004 as an art project which encouraged people to send in their deepest, darkest secrets on postcards handset out and left in public places.